Fictional character biography

Early life

Guy was raised in Baltimore by his parents, Roland and Peggy Gardner. Roland was an abusivealcoholic who beat Guy repeatedly. Guy worked hard in school to try to win his father's approval, but Roland instead lavished attention and compliments upon Guy's older brother, Mace. Guy's only escape at this time was General Glory comic books, going so far as to model his bowl haircut on Glory's sidekick, Ernie.[4]

During his mid-teens, Guy became a juvenile delinquent. He was straightened out by his brother, now a police officer, and he eventually went to college, supporting himself, and earning bachelor's degrees in education and psychology from the University of Michigan, where he also played football until a career-ending injury.

After college, Guy worked as a social welfare caseworker, dealing with prison inmates and their rehabilitation. He abandoned this line of work, however, fearing it brought out his aggressive nature. Moving on, he became a teacher for children with disabilities.[5]

Green Lantern Corps

Guy Gardner's first appearance in Green Lantern #59 (March, 1968).

The appointed Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, an alien named Abin Sur from the planet Ungara, crash-landed on Earth after being mortally wounded. As Sur died, his power ring sought and found two potential successors: Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan. Jordan was nearer to the crash, so he was chosen over Gardner.[6] In the later Booster Gold series it was shown that a time traveling Booster convinced Gardner to visit his dying father, thus ensuring that Jordan would be the candidate in closest proximity. Gardner was relegated to backup status should anything happen to Jordan.[7]

When Jordan became aware of Gardner's status as his backup, he went out of his way to set up a chance meeting, and the two became friends. Though Gardner was originally naive to Jordan's secret identity, he eventually assisted Jordan during his adventures.

During an earthquake, Gardner was hit by a bus while attempting to rescue one of his students. During his recovery, the Guardians recruited John Stewart to be Jordan's new backup.[8]

Some time later, during a period where Gardner was performing his duties as a backup Green Lantern, Hal Jordan's power battery, the source of the ring's energy, exploded in his face and trapped him in the Phantom Zone. Jordan and Kari Limbo, Gardner's girlfriend at the time, both believed him to be dead, and the two developed a romantic relationship, and ultimately culminated in a marriage proposal.[9] Gardner was able to interrupt the wedding by contacting Limbo telepathically.[10] By then, however, Gardner's bus accident, the power battery explosion, his assimilation into the zone, and the subsequent torture at the hands of General Zod and other residents of the Phantom Zone had affected his mind. When Gardner was released from the Phantom Zone, he was diagnosed with brain damage and was comatose for a number of years.[11]

During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Guardians of the Universe split into two factions over how to confront the Crisis. A minority faction of six Guardians emulated their former brethren, the Controllers, by recruiting a Green Lantern to directly attack and destroy the forces of the antimatteruniverse. For reasons unknown, Gardner was revived by the renegade Guardians, given a power ring not tied to the Central Power Battery on Oa, and given a mission. He was to recruit and command the deadliest and most powerful criminals in the universe to launch a strike against the home base of the Anti-Monitor.

Gardner's brain damage manifested itself in the form of an arrogant, violent, unstable, and often childish new personality. Gardner believed himself to be the last "true" Green Lantern, superior to all the others, particularly Jordan. Five of the renegade Guardians were slain by a wave of antimatter, and the sixth eventually reconciled with the rest of the Guardians. In the meantime, Gardner succeeded in his task of recruiting powerful villains. Both Hal Jordan and John Stewart prevented Gardner from completing his mission, which would have ultimately destroyed the universe.

Following the Crisis, the Guardians along with the Zamarons left the universe to create the next generation of Guardians. Gardner was placed under the care of the remaining Guardian-turned-mortal Appa Ali Apsa (who later went on to become the "Mad Guardian") on the planet Maltus in order to teach Gardner the ways of the Corps, a situation which Gardner resented. Gardner eventually escaped and returned to Earth, but was recaptured by Appa Ali Apsa (with the assistance of two Corps honor guards) intending to reclaim Gardner's power ring. At the request of Kari Limbo, Hal Jordan pleaded on Gardner's behalf for his freedom, which was granted with no return of gratitude from Gardner.

As a consequence of the Corps executing Sinestro the majority of the Corps lost their power rings; Gardner was one of the few remaining active Green Lanterns. After the defeat and death of the "Mad Guardian" the Guardians returned and assigned Gardner to be the official Green Lantern of Sector 2814 while Jordan was assigned to recruit new Corps members.

J.L.I.

Guy Gardner, Justice League member. Cover for Justice League #1, by Kevin Maguire and Terry Austin.

Soon after obtaining his freedom from Maltus, Gardner became a founding member of the Justice League International after the original JLA disbanded during the DC Universe-wide crossover, Legends. In his time with the JLI, Gardner resented Batman's leadership of the group, going so far as to challenge the Dark Knight to a fist fight; Batman immediately downed Guy with one punch.[12] Guy's run in JLI was full of constant personality shifts and endless arguing between team members. This led to a fight with Lobo,[13][14] the sucker-punching of Blue Beetle during a boxing match,[15] and finally him quitting the team after being "belittled" by Superman.[16]

Gardner was romantically involved with his fellow Leaguer Ice, even learning some rudimentary Norwegian. Their relationship ended with her death at the hands of the Overmaster, but recent events have led to her resurrection.

Guy Gardner: Reborn

Guy Gardner with his yellow power ring.

After completing his assignment of recruiting new Corps members, Jordan returned to Earth to reclaim his title as Green Lantern of Sector 2814. Gardner's response was to challenge Jordan to a fight where the loser would quit the Corps. Gardner lost and surrendered his ring. Shortly afterward he set out on a quest to regain his power and identity. After tricking Lobo into assisting him, he invaded Qward to find the yellow power ring of Sinestro, but was told by the Qwardians that the ring was unique & never returned to Qward. He then travelled to Oa where he found it on Sinestro's hand in Oa's "Crypt of the Green Lantern Corps".[17][18]

Gardner's own comic series began with him using the yellow ring and a modified costume similar to his Green Lantern costume but from street clothes. The yellow ring didn't use a battery to recharge, instead needing to be used against the power rings of Green Lanterns to restore its power, which Gardner discovered by accident when a member of the Corps fought him while his ring was powerless.

Guy Gardner returned to Earth to pick a fight with Superman but eventually rejoined the league and helped battle the monster Doomsday. Later, Guy cleared his name of murder that was committed by his clone and learned that his brother Mace had become the assassin Militia; after a brawl between the two Guy decided to take the codename Warrior.

Guy Gardner: Warrior

When Hal Jordan, under the influence of the villain Parallax, destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, Ganthet first came to Guy Gardner to offer him the last Green Lantern power ring. When Gardner refused, Ganthet decided to entrust it to Kyle Rayner.[19]

Guy Gardner then led a group of heroes to Oa to find out what had happened to the corps. In battling Parallax, Guy Gardner's ring is destroyed and he was forced to find an alternate means to acquire power.

Warrior: the last Vuldarian.

On an expedition to the Amazon, Gardner found a chalice of the Warrior Water. He drank from it, and this activated alien DNA that was implanted in his bloodline a millennium ago by a space-traveling race called the Vuldarians. He discovered new powers that would allow him to resume his role as a superhero, and also established a superhero theme bar called "Warrior's", as both a source of income and a base between his adventures.[1]

His early days as Warrior saw him struggling with his newfound powers. He had difficulty changing his body into any weapon, and his transformations often caused him pain. After a breakdown that led to a confrontation with Superman and Supergirl, with some soul-searching help from his supposed ancestor, Gardner was finally able to use his new powers to form most non-energy-based weapons from his body, as well as absorb some forms of energy and redirect them through his various "weapons". Another ability, his capability to use the knowledge of warriors from across space and time, was rarely used and mostly forgotten. Guy had many enemies during the series including Black Serpent, Sledge, Joe the Clone, Major Force, Martika, The Tormocks, and Dementor.

During the time that Gardner fought against Dementor, he learned that his enemy was also a product of Vuldarian breeding. Dementor's father had raped a Vuldarian woman. Dementor was sent to Hell, where he eventually revealed that he was the one responsible for Gardner's constant personality shifts (in a sense, explaining why his personality changed drastically over the years). In the last issues he finally dealt with his "family", as well as revealing another side of his Vuldarian powers, the ability to heal mortal wounds.

After the Warrior series was canceled, Gardner continued to appear in the DC Universe; most notably as a recurring character in the Green Lantern series during Kyle Rayner's run and a reserve member of the JLA. It was thought he was killed during the Our Worlds at War crossover.[20] However, he was later discovered to be trapped in a pocket of Hell in General Zod's country of Pokolistan. After freeing himself, his Warrior powers were apparently enhanced. He declared it his job to do less ethical things heroes like Superman couldn't.[21][22] However, this new direction was short lived.

Return to the Corps

During the 2005 miniseriesGreen Lantern: Rebirth, Gardner's Vuldarian DNA is strangely overwritten by his human DNA when Parallax possesses Gardner and several Green Lanterns. Hal Jordan's ring splits in two and Gardner's ring is restored to him. Eventually, Parallax is defeated by the combined effort of all five active Green Lanterns, including Gardner. The Guardians then select Gardner as one of the senior officers of the new Green Lantern Corps.

In the 2005–2006 miniseries Green Lantern Corps: Recharge (written by Dave Gibbons), the Guardians assign Gardner to be one of the Corps' three main instructors, along with Kilowog and Kyle Rayner. The trio is responsible for the training of the new Corps, to which the Guardians intend to name 7,200 members. Gardner is not at all appreciative of his new role, and when he complains to the Guardians, they tell him that success in training new recruits could lead to him being given a new position.

Gardner plays a significant role in defeating the Spider Guild attack on Oa. Discovering that trainee Soranik Natu has disappeared into the forbidden Vega star system, which the Guardians' pact with the Psions of Vega forbids Green Lanterns from entering, Gardner and Kyle Rayner lead a rescue mission in direct violation of Oan policy. Once there, the Lanterns discover the Spider Guild nest and determine that its next target is the Oan sun. Returning just as the attack commences, Gardner gathers the frightened trainee Green Lanterns and rallies them with a speech that impresses even his long time rival, Hal Jordan. Gardner's performance in repelling the attack results in his promotion to Lantern #1 of the Green Lantern Honor Guard, a position of authority over other Lanterns. In this new role, Gardner is expected to "think outside the box" and "do the jobs other Lanterns can't", a function well-suited to his irascible personality.

Infinite Crisis and One Year Later

In his new role as Lantern #1, Guy leads the Corps in the defense of Oa against Superboy-Prime, creating a wall of energy to slow the rampaging teen and calling a "Code 54", authorizing the use of extreme force. Guy supervises the final capture and imprisonment of Superboy-Prime, locking him in a red Sun-Eater provided by Donna Troy and organizing a constant watch of fifty Lanterns to keep him imprisoned.[23]

Guy spends the entire "missing year" following Infinite Crisis doing missions for the Guardians without shore leave (though he is infrequently seen on Earth in the 52 weekly limited series, it should be assumed he has sneaked away from the Guardian's watch). When he's finally granted some time off one year later, his relaxation is cut short by an attack by a grudge-holding Bolphunga the Relentless.[24] Soon after, Guy assisted Hal Jordan on an unsanctioned mission to the Manhunter homeworld, Biot. Through Hal and Guy's efforts, several long-lost lanterns (including Arisia, Chaselon, Jack T. Chance, Graf Toren, Hannu, Ke'Haan, Laira, and Boodikka) were freed from imprisonment by the Cyborg Superman.[25][26] Upon returning from the mission, Guy was punished by the Guardians and forced to endure one month as one of the fifty Lanterns on "Prime Duty". Lanterns of the Honor Guard, like Guy, are allowed to break the rules three times before expulsion.[27]

According to Green Lantern writer Geoff Johns in a recent Newsarama interview, Prime wouldn't be escaping under Guy's watch. "Not at all. That’s ridiculous. Anyone who’s read Guy Gardner for the last two years in Green Lantern or in [Green Lantern] Corps knows that he’s a much better, stronger character than that. And even in the old Giffen stuff, he would probably break some rules, taunt the other heroes, and drink a beer or two, but he wouldn’t be that much of an idiot. He was never that much of an idiot, and certainly not with what I’m doing with him, or with what Dave Gibbons is doing with him in Corps. He has his moments, and he’s a really fun character, but he’s definitely not going to be a moron. His role is not DCU Moron. His role is DCU Shitkicker."[28]

The Corpse

Guy was briefly part of the Corps' Black Ops division. Dubbed "The Corpse", members forsake their rings for stealthier powers provided by the Guardians. Guy took part in one mission as part of this secretive unit. He was tasked with locating Von Daggle, a Durlan who was formerly in charge of the Corpse. Gardner relayed a message from the Guardians, informing Daggle that he was reinstated. From there, Daggle took command of Gardner, leading him to the homeworld of the Dominators, a race of superscientists with a grudge against Earth. Together, they defeated a super-evolved Dominator, though the Corpse's use of lethal force did not sit well with Guy. Gardner informed Daggle that he couldn't be a part of his crew and Daggle wiped his memory, musing that "humans never make the cut."

Sinestro Corps War

In the storyline Sinestro Corps War, Superboy-Prime and Cyborg Superman escape imprisonment when the Sinestro Corps attacks Oa, killing the guards on Prime Duty. Guy, along with fellow Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart are captured by Parallax during battle and brought to Qward.[29] Guy and John Stewart are then held prisoner by Lyssa Drak who forces them to relive tragedies in their lives.[30] Hal manages to defeat Lyssa and free Guy and John from their nightmare. In the skirmish following their escape, Parallax nearly breaks Gardner's neck. Meanwhile, the Lanterns recover Ion from the leader of the Sinestro Corps, the Anti-Monitor. Guy, Hal, and John then return to the positive matter universe, only to find Earth under siege by a truly massive and fast-approaching battalion of Sinestro corpsmen.[31]

As the Sinestro Corps' attack gets underway, the Cyborg Superman and Superboy-Prime attack Superman, while Hal confronts Parallax just before he's about to kill Hal's family. In an attempt to free Kyle from the Parallax entity, John orders Guy to retrieve the painting Kyle mentioned just before his abduction. When Guy is flying over Mount Rushmore on the way to pick up the painting, the Sinestro Corps ambush him. Seconds later, the Green Lantern Corps arrive for backup, their power rings now allowing them to utilize lethal force against the Sinestro corpsmen effectively saving Guy. Guy continues his mission and presents the painting to Parallax. Hal is able to use the painting and their combined willpower to help Kyle overcome his fears and expel Parallax. Parallax, now in his original insectoid form, is captured by former Guardians Ganthet and Sayd. Realizing the incredible strength of will displayed by each of Earth's GLs, Parallax is split into four pieces and imprisoned within the power batteries of Hal, John, Guy, and Kyle.[32] It is seen that each lantern is distinctive to its bearer and that Guy's lantern proudly sports a decal of his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Ganthet gives Kyle a new power ring and asks him to become a Green Lantern again, to which he happily agrees. Within the finale of the Sinestro Corps War, Guy was the one who tossed Warworld at the Anti-Monitor in an attempt to defeat him, but it was Superman-Prime who was able to finish him off. Prior to this, Guy was infected by the Sinestro Corps' deadly alien virus named Despotellis. He is soon cured by the Green Lantern Corps' own intelligent smallpox virus, Leezle Pon.[33]

Return of Ice

Within the aftermath of the Sinestro Corps War, Guy was finally reunited with Ice, a recently resurrected former girlfriend. Despite Ice's uncertainty as to the wisdom of reviving the old romance, Guy's professions of adoration seemed sufficient to convince her to meet him for a proper date on the same spot exactly one month later.[34]

After debating with himself about where to live, Guy decides to move to Oa, and set up a bar and restaurant called "Guy's Place" (later called "The Big "W"). After much cajoling, Salaak agrees to the proposition. Before leaving Earth, Guy leaves Ice a note.[35]

While Guy is charging his ring reciting the oath on the mission, he is interrupted by a knock at the door. Guy opens the door with his typical attitude, where he finds Ice standing in his doorway. She tells him she hitched a ride to Oa with a Green Lantern member named Symon Terrynce, and that she is 14 days early for their date. As they are discussing this, Salaak via the ring interrupts and tells Guy to meet with Kyle and Kilowog. Guy tells Ice he has to take this and leaves her standing in Warriors with an, "Of course you do." He'll be back soon, to which she says "And I'll be here."[36]

However, their date doesn't go as well as Guy wanted to: Ice refuses his proposal to cohabitate on Oa, and Guy reads her desire to rebuild a new life on Earth with her best friend Beatriz as an attempt to distance from him, accusing Beatriz of pitting Tora against him. The two agree that their current situations will make a relationship impossible, and Guy has a fellow Lantern escort Tora back to Earth.[37]

Blackest Night

Guy Gardner as a Red Lantern during Blackest Night event.

In the storyline the Blackest Night, the Alpha Lanterns have been ordered by the Guardians to execute all Sinestro Corps members and all other prisoners. Guy and Kyle Rayner are opposed to execution and try to convince the Alpha Lanterns and the Guardians themselves to stay away from the dark path that they are headed down, but the Guardians refuse. They reassign Guy and Kyle to Earth because they challenged the Guardians' decree.[38] After attending Coast City's "Memorial Day" ceremony, and paying their respects to fallen heroes (such as Guy's former JLI teammate, Ted Kord), Guy and Kyle returned to Oa, only to be overtaken by a swarm of black rings. Despite Guy and Kyle's attempts to repel them, the rings entered Oa's Lantern crypt, reviving every fallen Corps member as a Black Lantern.[39][40] In the ensuing conflict, Guy is forced to crush the body of the insectoid Bzzd, but is then impaled through the leg by Ke'Haan.[41]

Guy manages to distengrate Ke'Haan's body, but falls back upon discovering that the black ring causes it to regenerate.[42] During the conflict, the Black Lanterns' power levels register one hundred percent, which brings them to a new directive: to devour will by consuming the Central Power Battery. In an attempt to stop them, Guy frees the Red Lantern Vice, who mindlessly tears into the Black Lanterns, damaging them too quickly to regenerate. However, the Alpha Lantern Chaselon kills Vice, believing him to have escaped, and is attacked by the Black Lanterns, who remove the Power Battery inside his chest. As the Battery is about to explode, Kyle takes it and draws the Black Lanterns to him, sealing them all within a shield bubble as the Battery goes off. The Black Lanterns are disintegrated by the explosion, and Kyle is killed.[43]

Driven to incredible rage by Kyle's death, Guy is sought out by Vice's red power ring, which transforms him into the Red Lantern of sector 2814. Now powered by both of his green and red power rings, Guy seeks vengeance against the Black Lanterns and is able to destroy them on sight effortlessly with his combined weapons.[44] Kyle's resurrection at the hands of Star Sapphire Miri Riam does little to calm Guy's rage: When Mogo finally disposes of the Black Lanterns, Guy turns his murderous rage on his former friends.[45] Mogo manages to stop Guy, first by using his rings to produce an energy construct representation of his internal struggle, weakening him, and then by placing him in a pool of nutrients, containing leeches that purge almost all of Guy's rage contaminated blood from his body. Guy returns to normal, but is informed by the Indigo Tribesman Munk that only the light of a Blue Lantern can cure him completely. The group are then summoned to Earth to join the battle against Nekron.[46]

Powers and abilities

Power rings

Guy Gardner was trained to use a Green Lantern power ring, which is only limited by the user's will power. He later acquired Sinestro's Qwardian power ring, which was later revealed to be based on the bearer's control of fear. This early version of a yellow power ring was powered by absorbing plasma radiation that had been expelled from a Green Lantern ring. He used both for basic Lantern abilities including constructs, flight, and energy projection. In Green Lantern: Rebirth #6 it is mentioned that Guy Gardner's ring is constantly sparking with energy, as if unable to contain the power of his will. Following Kyle Rayner's apparent death, Guy's rage caused a red power ring to latch onto him, bestowing on him the ability to generate napalm like flames that would burn even in space. Unlike most Red Lanterns, Guy retained his intelligence, and, like Hal Jordan when he was under the thrall of a red ring, Guy was able to shape the red flames into solid constructs. Unlike Hal, Guy's green ring remained active, allowing him to combine the two lights and obliterate the Black Lanterns and their rings.

Vuldarian powers

Guy's Vuldarian powers included limited shapeshifting abilities in which he could create weapons out of his body. At first, these transformations caused him pain and he was unable to shrink from his 7-foot height. During the return of Parallax, he suffered a metahuman power discharge and his Vuldarian abilities went into recession. Coincidentally, when he awoke he was near Hal Jordan's power ring which has the ability to duplicate itself. Gardner once more had a power ring, and following the return of the Guardians of the Universe, he was once again a Green Lantern.

Green Lantern (Tangent Comics)

Guy became the caretaker of a mystical artifact that survived the effects of the Infinite Crisis after it was discovered on New Earth by Kyle Rayner. It has the power to temporarily awaken the dead and has also served as a dimensional gateway. The Guardians eventually used the artifact for a ritual to merge the willpower entity Ion with Sodam Yat during the Sinestro Corps War.

Other versions

Guy is also a member of the Green Lantern Marine Corps in Superman: Red Son.

In the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day," a thug who is thwarted by Kyle Rayner when he attempts to steal Jimmy Olsen's camera bears a strong resemblance to Guy Gardner, sporting a red haired bowl-cut.

Guy Gardner appears (alongside the Green Lantern Corps) in a non-spoken cameo role in the Duck Dodgers episode, The Green Loontern.

Guy Gardner appeared in the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold in the opening of Day of the Dark Knight and was voiced by James Arnold Taylor.[48] His antics caused a prisoner to go on a path of destructive rage, but Batman, already at Corps headquarters, recaptures the prisoner. He reappears in The Eyes of Despero! to help Batman overthrow dictator Despero. He, Sinestro, and G'nort create Bat-armor for the job when Batman insists on accompanying the Lanterns. When he sees Sinestro attempting to blow up a rogue Mogo; they do battle, and Guy wins. Guy imprisons Sinestro in his ring at the end of the episode. This episode also pays homage to the iconic scene in the comics, when Batman knocks Gardner out with one punch after an argument.

Guy appears in "Death Race to Oblivion!" as one of many heroes and villains racing to save the Earth from destruction at the hands of Mongul.

Guy next appears in "Revenge of the Reach!", where he initially clashes with Jaime Reyes, believing that he is evil because of the Reach-created suit he wears. After Jaime saves Oa from the attack of other Reach agents, Guy's attitude towards him improves; He even sticks up for him when the Guardians attempt to confiscate his armor.

In a small script review for the Green Lantern live-action film in development, Gardner has a small role, with the potential to expand his role in possible sequels.